As a child, I used to think that eventually, we’d run into the words we once spoke. I thought that although words were invisible, they were tangible and they’d float around until we bumped into them. Guys, I had an active imagination!

This week I’ve been thinking about thoughts and feelings. Specifically how our thoughts affect our emotions. I have reached a number of conclusions, permit me to share a couple.

1) Thoughts are voiceless words. They have the same effect as words. Consequently, thoughts have a source which can be internal or external.

-Internal thoughts have two sources- borne out of your purpose which is a seed God planted in you before you were born (remind me to tell you all about why we can trust our own ideas) and formed from words or experiences which you have internalized. For example, the first time you went skiing, you fell and broke your leg. The next time you are invited to go skiing again and your first thought is I may fall and break my leg.

-External simply means thoughts that did not originate from inside you. Social media, news, friends etc. These ‘float around’ and come back to your recollection at an opportune time. That’s also how the enemy works.

2)Thoughts come before feelings, just like words do. If someone pays you a compliment you feel good about yourself. If you think positive you feel good too. Same if you have negative thoughts.

3) Feelings have the power to propel you to action. If you feel confident enough, you finally take that step you’ve been dreading.

4) Feelings are like the gas state of matter. They take up the space of the jar they are in and once the lid is open, they float away.

Feelings are unreliable. In the space of 2 minutes, you can experience a myriad of emotions about the same subject. Feelings don’t rely on fact, they rely on belief. If you believe you are incapable, you will feel incapable and since feelings propel you to act, you won’t bother trying.

5) Feelings should not propel us to act. Yes, they do but it’s not wise to wait to feel good before acting. You won’t get a lot done. I have a whole epistle on why that’s the case but not today 😀

In a nutshell, if you want to get things done, watch your source. Dig deep to unearth the truth of who you were created to be and draw from that source.

Don’t wait to feel like doing before you start- your spirit wants to do the right thing but your body- which is required for action- prefers to stay under the duvet. Because the flesh is too weak to go with what the spirit wills.

So while we will never bump into our spoken words- I grew up- those words really do float around and cause us to make decisions, some good, some bad.

What are your thoughts on thoughts and feelings?